Obscured Landmarks
Re-Activating Buried Histories, Stewarding Sites for Learning
Discover the stories behind Lawrence’s landmarks—both the well-known and the overlooked—with the "Obscured Landmarks" tours. Join us for a walking tour on Wednesday evening, April 23, or a bus tour on Saturday afternoon, April 26. These tours will explore sites connected to Lawrence’s rich history as a hub of Kansas’s abolitionist movement and its enduring commitment to justice.
Presented by the Hall Center for the Humanities at the University of Kansas, in collaboration with The Commons, the Spencer Museum of Art, and the Lawrence Public Library, this experience brings together scholars, artists, storytellers, and more to uncover cultural and historical insights. Both tours are free and open to the public, but space is limited.
“These tours invite you to see Lawrence in a new light and reflect on its past as a guide for a more thoughtful future,” says Giselle Anatol, Director of the Hall Center for the Humanities.
Part of the "Being Human Festival US," running April 14–28, "Obscured Landmarks" is one of 16 community events across the country supported by the National Humanities Center. This festival celebrates the humanities’ ability to deepen our understanding of ourselves, connect us to each other, and shed light on today’s world.
Obscured Landmarks: Re-Activating Buried Histories, Stewarding Sites for Learning
WALKING TOUR (1.5 miles total)
Wednesday, April 23, 2025, 5:30 - 7:45 PM
REGISTER HERE
5:30 PM Meet at Riverfront Plaza Parking Lot (1 Riverfront Plaza Lawrence, KS)
5:30 - 5:40 PM Walk to “Robinson Park” (4 West 6th Street)
5:40 - 6:10 PM – Robinson Park
Guest Speakers:
Ursula Minor, NAACP - Lawrence President (re: Equal Justice Initiative)
Sydney Pursel, Curator for Public Practice, Spencer Museum of Art (re: Iⁿ‘zhúje‘waxóbe / Sacred Red Rock)
Toni Ramirez Wheeler, City Attorney, City of Lawrence
6:10 - 6:20 PM Walk to Liberty Hall (644 Massachusetts St.)
6:20 - 6:40 PM – Liberty Hall (meet in lobby)
Guest Speakers:
Dennis Domer, Historian and Editor of Embattled Lawrence (re: the history of Prohibition in KS, Quantrill’s Raid, the Eldridge Hotel)
Derrick Doty, Ethnomusicologist (re: the musicians of the KS Territory, the Lawrence town cornet band, George “Nash” Walker, mandolin clubs)
6:40 - 6:55 PM Walk to St. Luke AME Church (9th & New York Streets)
6:55 - 7:25 PM – St. Luke African Methodist Episcopal Church
Guest Speaker:
Verdell Taylor, former Pastor at St. Luke AME, Lawrence, and current Inclusion, Diversity & Equity Manager at Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center (re: history of the church, African American community in Lawrence)
7:25 - 7:40 PM Walk back to Riverfront Plaza Parking Lot (1 Riverfront Plaza)
Those interested can join for a viewing of John Brown iconography, drinks, and discussion at John Brown’s Underground (7 East 7th St, between Massachusetts and Vermont) at 7:45 PM!
BUS TOUR
Saturday, April 26, 2025, 1:00 - 4:30 PM
REGISTER HERE
1:00 PM Meet at Oak Hill Cemetery (1605 Oak Hill Avenue Lawrence, KS) – East-side parking lot
1:00 - 1:25 PM Oak Hill Cemetery
Guest Speaker:
Dennis Domer, Historian and Editor of Embattled Lawrence (re: famous Lawrence citizens buried at the site)
1:30 - 1:45 PM Drive to Haskell Wetlands (please dress for difficult terrain)
1:50 - 2:50 PM Haskell Wetlands
Guest Speaker:
Courtney King, Haskell Greenhouse Manager (leading Walk & Learn about the ecological history and present of the wetlands)
2:55 - 3:15 PM Drive to Grover Barn (2819 Stonebarn Terrace, Lawrence, KS)
3:15 - 3:55 PM Grover Barn
Guest Speaker:
TBA (re: pre-Civil War Lawrence, the Underground Railroad)
4:00 - 4:20 PM Return to Oak Hill Cemetery parking lot.
Those interested can join for a viewing of John Brown iconography, drinks, and discussion at Free State Brewery (636 Massachusetts St) at 4:30 PM!